Method of forming trim panels



yPatented Sept. 24, 1940 METHOD or FORMING TRIMPANELS n CfOsbornQfDetroit, Michl, assignort i The kMurray Corporation' of America,Detroit, i kMich., acorporation of Delaware "i j Application Novemberil,1936serial No. v110;:11

comme (C1.` '154;2)

Thisinventionrelates to innertrim panels. More particularly -it relatesto ainovel and-improved method of` forming. innertrim panels, V whichpanels have ,novel andparticularly rornaf.l

`t mental surface.decorationsprovided thereon.`

It is a primary object of the present invention toprovide an inner trimpanel having a decorated surface and one which isfnparticularlyadaptedlfor the attachment and mounting ofa' l0 section of carpetingthroughout the lower portion thereof in order to provide afsurface moreresistant to wear in the lower portion of the trim panel. Trim panels ofthis generic type are primarily utilized for thepurpose of providing avdecorative finish for the inner surface of vehicle doors beneath thewindow openings therein and.

incertain types of. panels it has been-.found desirable to cover thelower portionthereof 'withva section of carpeting or other suitablesimilar material in order that the inner surfacefof the door receivingthemaximum of wear Will be adequately protected.

Innerr trim panels Vof the general rtypefwith which the presentinvention is primarilyconcerned include `a relatively ystii cardboardbacking sheet having a layer of padding material -ad-r hesively securedthereto. This padding material is cut afterits application tothe'backing sheety along predetermined lines to provide grooves in thesurface thereof.. vA sheet of fabric finishmaterial is stretched overthe surface of the padded backing sheet and is urged into and adhesivelysecured in certain of said grooves in order-to provide an ornamentalsurface conguration for the vide a type of surface decoration Auponthepadding material such` that the fabric finish material subsequentlyapplied theretomay easily and conveniently conform to the desiredsurface'conflgu ration, thus providing an' exceptionally uniform andattractive resultant product. Many other and further objects, advantagesY and features of the present invention will become clearly apparentfrom the Vfollowing specification when considered in connectionV withthe accompanying drawing forming a part thereof. In the drawingl Y T`sprayed witha coating lBlof .liquid adhesive, such 'iFigure k1 isaperspective view of afcompleted .inner trimpanel manufacturedinaccordance j withthe teachings of the-.presentinvention l y v [Figurev2'isa perspective view, similarL to Fig. l, showing apadded backing:sheet `and illustrating the manner inI which the padding thereon-,iscuttoproduce the improvedinnei" 'trimpaneh Figure 3 is an enlargedfragmentary sectional view taken substantially on thel line y3--3 yofFigure 2, illustrating'the manner in whichthe pad-f` 10 ding material iscut. i Figure 4 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view similar toFigurerB illustrating themanner in Whichthe fabric flnishimaterial isapplied to the backing sheet showing the same prior to the 15 tensioningof the fabricfiinish material. v y, `Figure 5 is an enlarged fragmentarysectional l view taken substantially'on.` the line `5,4-5 of Fig- A urelillustrating themanner in which the. `fabric l nish material istensioned andY conformed to the 20 surface configurationy of the paddingmaterial.

Figure 6 is an" enlarged fragmentary sectional View vtaken substantiallyon the line 6i-6 of Figure 2 illustrating in detail the manner in whichthe padding material is` cut at the bottom portion 25 ofthe panel. v y

Figure 7 is a fragmentary sectional view similar to Figure 6 showing themanner in which a por'- tion of thepadding material is removed in orderto make roomfor the installation of the carpeting. 30

Figure 8 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional View taken Asubstantiallyon the line 8 8 of Figure 1 illustrating the mannerin which thecarpeting 'and fabric finish material, are mounted upon'th'ej `paneladjacentv the bottom thereof.r y 35 vFiguregfis anenlarged fragmentarysectional view taken substantially on the line 9-9 ofFigure 1illustrating in detail the construction ofthe panel in one of the sideportions thereof.

Figure l0 is a-perspective/fview of. a kpadded 40 backingsheet havingthe padding thereon ,cut ina modified manner. .f y

In manufacturing innertrim panels accordance with the method of thepresentvinvention'a backingsheet I5l formed of cardboard or other 45 'vsuitable relatively stiff material is blanked outto the configurationofthe inner trim panel whichit is desired to produce. `This backingsheet is thenv for -example as latex, and then a relativelythick layerof non-woven loosely lfeltel fibrous material Il is'applied. thereto.yThisypaddin'g material IT is preferably formed of looselyfeltedjute'fibers although many other similar. types of fibrous pad-Y dingmaterial may be used as may be desired-,55

to its application to the backing sheet to a configuration substantiallycongruent with the backing sheet to which it is adheslvely secured.

While the adhesive material I6 which secures this padding materiali inposition is still wet the padded backing sheet is placed in a presswhich has a plurality of V-shaped knives which knives engage the paddingmaterial and cut a plurality of grooves I8 therein which grooves in theform of the invention shown in the drawing are generallyA rectangular inform and which provide on the surface of the padded backing sheet aplurality of adjacently disposed concentric rectangles which, as willhereinafter be seen, produce a paneled effect upon the finished panel.In addition the press has knives which form a groove I9 extending alongthe upper surface of the trim v panel substantially parallelfto theuppermost of the grooves I8 and spaced slightly therefrom. The die ofthe press also forms a groove 20 which extends throughout the entiretransverse width knives are V-shaped in cross section serves not only toform the padding material to provide rounded beads between the groovesbut also serves to urge the ends of the fibers cut downwardly toward thebacking sheet where these ends will come in contact `with the adhesiveI6 which, as has been explained above, is still wet while the cuttingoperation is being performed, and will serve to'bond the ends of thesefibers, thus permanently retaining the grooves in the desiredconfiguration.

In the particular type of panel which is formed by the method of thepresent invention the lower portion of the panel is adapted to becomposed of carpeting and this carpeting is of such thickness that it isessential that the padding material be removed from the lower portion ofthe panel. The groove or line of cut 20 serves to define the portion ofthe padding material to be removed and serves to provide a clean, neatedge against which the carpeting may abut when subsequently applied.After the cutting operation has been completed the padding material I1beneath the liner of cut 20 is removed from the panel, as is clearlyseenin Figure 7 of the drawing.

The fabric finish material which is used to cover the padded backingsheet thus provided preferably includes a section of woven cloth 22, thelower marginal'edge of which is stretched along the line 23 toa sectionof carpeting material 24 of a size and shape adapted to fill the lowerportion of the trim panel from which the padding material has beenremoved as described above. The carpet material 24 has a strip of fabricmaterial 26 projecting from the marginal edge thereof which, as willhereinafter bel seen, serves to aid in securing the fabriciinish'materi'al as a whole in position upon the padded backing sheet.

Prior to the application of the fabric finish material to the paddedbacking sheet latex or similar adhesive material is sprayed into theThis padding material-is preferably formed prior bases of the grooves I8and this may be disseminated through the adjacent fibrous material bymeans of a blast of air in order to prevent the latex material fromsaturating the cloth subsequently applied. The lower exposed surface ofthe backing sheet is sprayed with adhesive materialand the section ofcarpet is placed in position thereon. The marginal portions of thereverse side ofthe backing sheet I5 are sprayed with adhesive materialand the fabric 22 is stretched over the surface of the padded backingsheet and has its marginal edges secured in position to the reversesideofthe backing sheet. The `projecting -fabric material 26 which, as hasbeen explained above, is secured to the carpet 24, and is folded aroundthe marginal edge. of the backing sheet and secured thereto as is seenin Figure 8.

After the fabric finsh material has thus been applied to the paddedbacking sheet the whole trim panel isA placed ina pressv which hasblades adapted to enter "the grooves`I8. Asthis press descends thefabric finish material will be tensioned uniformly throughoutthe surfaceof the trim panel and will be-urged 'into the grooves I8 where it willbe retained by the adhesive mate- 'rial which has been applied in thebases of these grooves, thus conforming the fabric finish material totheconfiguration of the padding material and providing the desireddecorative effects on the surface thereof. It will be noted that thefabric finish material is stretchedjover the groove `I9 and isnoturgedthereinto, consequently permitting slight Vlateral displacementof the tufts between the grooves I8 Withoutcausing Wrinkling orsubstantial deformation of the body of the padding material as a whole.The provision of this groove I9 is regarded as a particularly importantfeature of the present invention inasmuch as it permits the accurateconforming of the fabric finish material to the configuration of thepadding material so that a neat and uniform resultant product isobtained.

In the modified formv of the invention shown in Figure l0,`substantially the same inventive principles are utilized. In this formof the invention a padded backing sheet 28 has alayer of fibrous paddingmaterial 29 'adhesively secured thereto. This padding material iscutalong lines 30 which define the surface decorations ultimately to beproduced upon the finished trim panel and outside of these lines cuts3'I are formed which serve substantially the same function as the cut I9described above. In addition, the padding material is cut along the line32 throughout its entire transverse extent to per mit the removal of thepadding material from the bottom portion of the sheet, thus providin forthe installation of the carpeting.

The above described embodiments of the invention are merely illustrativeof the generic in'- ventive concept presented in this application. Manyother and further modifications thereof falling within the scope `ofthev invention as dened in the subjoined 'claims will be clearlyapparent to those skilled in the art.

'What I claim is: y

l. The method of forming inner trim panels which includes adhesivelysecuring a section of padding material to a backing sheet, 'cutting aplurality of grooves in saidv padding material, stretching fabric finishmaterial over said padded backing sheet and urging saidfabric finishmaterial into one of said grooves to tension the same over another ofsaid grooves.

2. The method of manufacturing inner trim panels which includesadhesively securing a layer of padding material upon a relativelystiibackmentioned lines of cut, tensioning fabric finish material overthe surface of said padded backing sheet and urging the same inwardlyinto said rst mentioned lines of cut. n

3. The method of manufacturing inner trim panels which includesadhesivelysecuring a layer of padding material upon a relatively stiffbackl ing sheet,cutting said padding material along-f,

predetermined linesto form surface decorations therenrand at the sametime cutting said padding material additionally adjacent said r'stmentioned lines of cut tensioning fabric finishl material over thesurface of said padded back' ing sheet and adhesively securing ksaidfabric nish material in `the bases of said first mentioned-lines of cut,.said fabric finish material `being tensioned over said last mentionedlines of cut to provide for a uniform. distribution of said l `paddingmaterial.

`4. The method of manufacturing inner trim panels whichincludesfadhesively securing a layer of padding material to a relativelystiff backing sheet,'cutting said padding material along predeterminedlines while thus secured, said cutting operation including a linel ofcut extending throughout the entire transversey width of said paneladjacent the bottom thereof, removing the padding material below'saidlast mentioned line of cut, adhesifely securing a section of carpetingmaterial to the area from which said padding has been removed,tensioning fabric nish material over the padded portion of saidpanel andurging said vfabric vnish material into the first mentioned lines ofcut. l

' f C. OS'BORN.

